Discovering the W8 GYM at St James Club, Antigua

Imagine receiving an email that says ‘hey, you’re into fitness - fancy coming to Antigua with Fleur East for the launch of a brand new fitness partnership?’. Well of course I said yes, and last week, we jetted off to the beautiful island of Antigua for a few days of workouts on the beach, and of course a little downtime in the sunshine too. So what was it all about? Well, Elite Island Resorts - a beautiful collection of beachfront resorts in the Caribbean, has teamed up with W8 GYM, a really clever, completely portable gym system created by the lovely Fleur East and her cousins Nick Meaney and Clive Payne. The exclusive partnership will see the W8 GYM being available at Elite Island Resorts locations in Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados (remember I went to their beautiful The Club Barbados resort for my singing holiday?) and The Grenadines, to use in-room, in the resort gym (where group lessons will be available) and even on the beach, if you fancy it. I spent a happy few days discovering the W8 GYM at St James Club, Antigua, and do you know what? It turned out to be a pretty life changing experience. Let me explain…

The W8 GYM (see below for an exclusive discount!)

But first - what’s a W8 GYM?

Put simply W8 GYM is a compact, multi-functional, portable gym in a box. The system, created by Nick Meaney, Clive Payne and Fleur East, contains everything you need to do over 200 exercises. You can use the whole thing with all its contents as a weight (it weights 14.5kg fully packed), or use it as a kettle bell, or a dumbell, or indeed a step, then inside there are all sort of dumbells, plus resistance bands that attach onto the base unit or even onto a door with a special attachment. We did some utterly gorgeous early morning workouts right on the beach with Fleur, and honestly, I’ve never had so much fun while working so hard, and it gave me a glimpse into how I could really up my fitness levels, which is hugely inspiring.

W8 GYM - what’s in the box

Our W8 GYM workout class (pic: #W8GYMXEIR)

Body image, hang ups, box jumps and bikinis…

We had a really lovely group, and the W8 GYM guys: Fleur, Nick and Clive were so friendly, and so generous with their time and expertise. We had quite a few in-depth chats over dinner, on the beach, etc, about body image and our own fitness journeys. Pretty quickly, I felt that compared to a lot of the others (including some seriously fit gym-goers, fully trained PTs; a very fit, lovely lady who has run the Great Wall of China marathon; and the gorgeous Dr Zoe Williams who’s a former Gladiator, for goodness’ sake) I was more or less a beginner. Yes, I’ve done the couch to 5k and I run a few of times a week, but I’ve never set foot in a gym and wouldn’t know how to work any of the equipment, and let’s face it, that’s intimidating.

Fun in the sun with the gorgeous Dr Zoe Williams

It was really interesting, though, to hear how even total goddesses like Fleur have their own hang ups about their bodies - we all do - but doing the workouts really made me feel great about my body and what it could achieve. Walking towards our first workout, all set up on the beach, I was really quite nervous, worrying about whether I’d be able to keep up or make a fool of myself. The exercises were set out so that you could try and do as many as you could manage in a certain time, and that instantly took the pressure off. Fleur explained that it was important to go at your own pace, and while I couldn’t maybe do as many box jumps or squats than the others, I could still do some and keep going - at my own pace - right to the end, which was incredibly empowering.

Working out on the beach and feeling amazing (pic: #W8GYMXEIR)

After our first workout, with that new-found sense of achievement, came the next challenge - meeting everyone down on the beach. That first day of holiday is always hard, don’t you think? Throwing off your clothes and getting your body out, but here’s the thing: the workout had really helped me to feel positive towards my body*, and I surprised myself by putting on my bikini rather than my swimsuit. So hey, my stomach’s not flat, but it just did quite a few crunches, and my thighs and bum aren’t my favourite areas but I just smashed a load of squats and burpees. Weirdly, the workout had made me feel great about myself. And what more can you ask for when you’re on holiday? Work out in your room, then strut to the beach in your swimwear!

In a bikini and feeling great

We also talked about how, when you go on holiday, there’s this sense of guilt that you’re abandoning your normal routine, maybe eating a bit more and not exercising. Fleur said that when they first talked to the guys at Elite Island Resorts, one of the things they talked about was the element of fun and discovery: ‘you come away and learn something on holiday, then come home and you can keep the momentum going’.

How does Elite Island Resort’s partnership with W8 GYM partnership work

A W8 GYM kit is available for collection from the fitness team to use with an in-room video workout starring Fleur using the W8 GYM, filmed exclusively for guests. The video features workouts designed specifically for continuing fitness on holiday. There’s also a W8 GYM beach workout class – scheduled daily – designed exclusively by Fleur.

The W8 GYM workouts in your hotel room are 20 minutes long - there are four exercises and you do three rounds of each - done in real time. You’re watching Fleur demonstrate everything on the TV and exercising along with her. Fleur talks you through each exercise and continues to give you tips, making sure you’re doing the exercises correctly. I found it challenging, but fun and it’s cleverly designed so you can take it at your own pace (so you’re not completely disenchanted and give up) while pushing yourself a little bit more each time.

Exercise in your room or on the beach - it’s up to you!

I chatted to Fleur about how intimidating the gym can be if you’re someone like me (not particularly fit, never set foot inside a gym in my life, don’t know what any of the equipment does, etc), or maybe a mum at home with kids who wants to find something to do at home to keep fit. ‘This is one of the most important selling points of the W8 GYM - it’s perfect for every fitness level, but even if you’re right at the beginning of your journey, and you don’t want to struggle and suffer in front of everyone - you’d rather make a mistake and do your sweating in your living room.’

Post workout - me looking sweaty and unkempt and Fleur looking like a goddess

So you’ve been on your fab holiday - tried the W8 GYM in your room and loved it (or maybe just read about it here!) - how do you even start? Fleur suggested setting mini goals: ‘say you set yourself a goal of doing box jumps. For the first few times you might really struggle and only do two or three, but then you can monitor your journey and go ”oh now I can do five… now I can do ten”. You can learn on your own and that’s the most important thing about having our library online. We’re not just giving you the tools and walking away, we’re actually here to help and guide you.’

And it’s true. And now I love having one at home. The workouts on the W8 GYM website are a little longer - around 30 minutes. I’ve found the online classes challenging but easy to follow. I love Fleur’s easygoing, informative training style. There are loads of exercises on IGTV too. And do you know what? Every time I pull that W8 GYM out from under my coffee table, it’s associated with the most wonderful memories of a beautiful holiday in Antigua with a really lovely bunch of people.

The best workout with the loveliest people in the most gorgeous location

I spent such an amazing, empowering, uplifting few days discovering the W8 GYM at St James Club, Antigua. I think I’ll leave the last word to the lady herself: ‘When my cousins and I launched the W8 GYM we always wanted to encourage people to strive to be the best version of themselves. I’m not perfect, I have chunky thighs, curves, stretch marks and I FULLY embrace it all. As long as I feel good in myself that’s the best version of me. We need to learn not to be so hard on ourselves! STOP striving to be like anything other than the best version of YOU!’

Next up, find out all about the beautiful St James Club in Antigua.

Get me there!

Customers booking a Royal Suite category room will have a W8 GYM delivered to their home free of charge on return. A 7 night stay on an all-inclusive basis at St James’s Club & Villas Antigua based on two sharing costs from £1,592 per person including return economy flights from London. For more information on this offer go to: www.eliteislandholidays.com/w8gym

The W8 GYM is available in cool white, dynamic green, hot pink (£149) and a special gold deluxe edition shown here (£169). Click here for more information on W8 GYM - SPECIAL OFFER! Fleur, Nick and Clive have very kindly offered to give English Mum readers 20% off their choice of W8 GYM! Just use code UKMUM at the checkout.

I was in Antigua as a guest of Elite Island Resorts. All thoughts, opinions, words and pictures (unless attributed) are my own. Huge thanks to Elite Island Resorts, the W8 GYM team and to the lovely Karen and Lynda.

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* It’s scientific fact that exercise improves body image